Hanna HansdotterFading PrintsMay 23— June 21, 2018

The Phoenix

For a long time, Sweden was a very poor country. For a few decades during the early 20th century, there was a genuine population crisis, as the country was being drained of its young, skilled people, who were all choosing to board ships to cross the Atlantic and find new lives for themselves. Those who stayed behind, or at the very least, their children, experienced the modernisation of Sweden, and its development into a shining example of beauty and innovation. One of these stories is the story of Swedish glass. This industry was born in Småland, one of the regions that had suffered the worst during the hard times. It was here that the glass industry came into full swing in an explosion of glass foundries, which were all competing to show off the most beautiful, wondrous, and amazing pieces. There were many stars born in those days, but once the 90s came around, production had been simplified and economised, and relocated to other countries. A heroic era was coming to an end, one that would eventually turn out to be the beginning of another story.

We are honoured to be presenting Hanna Hansdotter’s first solo exhibition at CFHILL. Her deep knowledge of the essence of glass, of its various production processes and their history, and her ability to infuse an entirely new kind of meaning into the material of glass, she has opened a doorway to an unexplored, exciting artistic realm. In her most recent works, which were made specifically for this exhibition, she has further developed her idea of reinterpreting ancient methods. By blowing the glass inside an iron grid, she can allow it to swell out and form a sculptural pattern. Or rather: the form turns the glass into a negative of itself. Rather than being fragile and receptive, it is corporeal and voluptuous, abandoning transparency in favour of opacity and solidity. They are almost like living human beings. Especially since she has chosen to increase the scale slightly for these particular works.

We’re delighted to be presenting Hanna Hansdotter’s debut exhibition here at Västra Trädgårdsgatan during the summer of 2018!